Be Still My Heart
by ticklemeElmo667
Summary: Slight AU:  Elizabeth Swann was forced into Port Royal Boarding School where she meets mysterious and intriguing William Turner.  Soon, Will’s past catches up with him and the two are forced realize that there is more to each other than meets the eye.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Slight AU: Elizabeth Swann was forced into Port Royal Boarding School in the middle of her senior year where she meets mysterious and intriguing William Turner. Soon, Will's past catches up with him and the two are forced realize that there is more to each other than meets the eye.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters…except for the ones you don't recognize.

**Chapter One: Boarding School**

It was December 21st, 2007, the last day of school for winter break, and a day that Elizabeth Swann had been very much looking forward to. The air smelled crisp of winter around her and she couldn't help but smile as she took her time walking home from school. Her blissful moment was interrupted as she felt her cell phone vibrate from inside her bag. Pulling it out, she smiled again when she saw who was calling.

"Hello?" She asked pressing the phone to her ear.

"Hello dear friend, where are you?" The voice on the other line replied cheerfully. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood today.

"Where do you think?" Elizabeth asked her best friend, Isabel.

"Well, I would say you are just walking past the red brick building on 3rd Avenue in between that horribly constructed office building and that beautiful apartment building where we will soon be living in a few years." Isabel retorted knowingly. To say the least, Elizabeth was impressed.

"Quite the architect. How did you know?"

"It's 2:14 after school. Where else would you be?" Elizabeth sighed and decided to force Isabel to get to the point seeing as that she had no intention of doing it herself.

"So true. Your point?"

"Party. Adam's got a really nice loft on Riverside Dr. and everyone is going to be there. Including your skinny ass. See Jake is madly in love with you and will only go if you go, Derek is best friends with Jake and won't go unless Jake goes and tonight is my night with Derek so I need you to go."

"Can't. I have…" Elizabeth trailed off trying to come up with some sort of excuse as to why she couldn't attend the party. This type of stuff was so not her type of thing. There must be something better she could do with her time other than sit in an uncomfortable chair with some mixture of an alcoholic drink in a red plastic cup and watch countless guys either try to hit on her, try to get her to dance, or make a fool of themselves in some other form. Where was the fun in that? To people like Isabel, who actually liked this stuff, they were the makings of her social standings.

"Exactly. You have nowhere else to be. No reading, no homework, no excuse, nothing. I'll see you there." And with that, she was gone. Elizabeth shook her head and continued down the street. Her olive suede slouch boots clicked fervently as she walked and she tried to wrap her black Picot even tighter around her but failed as a gust of wind coursed through to her skin. Even as she regained some sense of her blissfulness, there was a sense of foreboding that grew insistently with every step she took towards her apartment building.

But what could be wrong today? It was a perfect afternoon. The sky was winter blue, the air light and wispy with the wind, and it was cold but not freezing. It was her favorite time of year: winter in New York City. The trees were white capped from last night's snowfall. There were Christmas lights everywhere, lighting up the city even more. Sometimes she would walk by the giant Christmas tree and just looking at it would bring her peace, but not today. Her feet carried her even faster towards home. Soon Elizabeth turned on to Lexington Ave and found herself directly in front of her building. For some reason, her heart was pounding so aggressively against her chest she thought it would burst. She nodded quickly at her doorman and nearly sprinted to the elevator. The ride up to the thirteenth floor was the longest she had ever experienced. As she stepped out, she broke into a run and pulled her key out, turned right and burst through her door.

Nothing.

Her parents were sitting quietly on the living room couch looking at her with a surprised expression. Elizabeth stood, shocked and panting, until her voice was able to catch up with her body.

"I…well I just thought…what's going on?" Elizabeth finally spotted what she was dreading.

"I think you better come sit." Her stepmother said sweetly. Elizabeth had always hated her. She was a fake in every sense of the word. She was a fake blonde, her tan was orange and fake, she had fake boobs, and she had a completely fake British accent. It was repulsive.

"I think you better tell me what the hell is going on here." Elizabeth said in the same sweet voice.

"Language. You cannot go around talking like that in Port Royal. Yes, that's right. We're finally sending you off to boarding school. Far, far away where you can't get into any trouble." Denise retorted. Every trace of "sweet" was lost from her voice. It was pure venom and Elizabeth could not believe her ears. Clearly this was a joke.

"Dad? Port Royal?" Elizabeth gasped. Somehow her voice was failing her. It was almost as if her father was too ashamed to look her in the eye. It was clear who wore the pants in their relationship. Elizabeth was disgusted. How could her own father do this to her?

"We had to make some calls and pull some strings to get you in. Apparently it's a very competitive school. Since your senior year already began, you can expect to be somewhat behind but I have faith that you can catch up quite nicely." Her father, James, spoke facing away from her. "Your flight leaves tomorrow afternoon so you better start packing." Those were the last words her father said to Elizabeth.

- - -

Elizabeth was devastated as she dialed the ten numbers on her cell phone to reach Isabel. She was able to hold herself together until the middle of the second "ring" before she lost it. She was convulsing with sobs when Isabel cheerily answered her phone.

"Liz? Is that you?" She asked with only a hint of concern in her voice.

"I found an excuse." Elizabeth sobbed. She was surprised Isabel was able to understand her words.

"What? What's going on?" Isabel was now fully scared and moving fast towards terrified. Elizabeth Swann never cried. Not even when she fell off the monkey bars in primary school and broke her arm in three places. It was that moment that Isabel knew something was extremely wrong.

"I'm leaving tomorrow." Elizabeth tried to choke out.

"Okay…where are you going?" Isabel dragged out. Elizabeth sighed with exasperation.

"Izzy, I'm moving for good. My cruel bitch of a stepmother just dropped the bomb. I leave tomorrow." She couldn't believe those words just escaped her lips. Elizabeth never thought she would be leaving New York in the middle of her senior year, just when things were starting to look up, to go to a boarding school in a place she had never heard of. There were countless thoughts swirling through her head, but the one that kept returning to the front of her mind was: _How could my father let her do something like this to me? What has she done to him?_

"Oh God, no! How? Why? No!" Isabel stuttered, trying to find the words to make the information she had just processed go away. In any other situation, Isabel would have given Elizabeth a hard time for coming up with such an awful excuse not to go to the party. If Elizabeth weren't on the other side sounding like she was sobbing her lungs up, Isabel would have categorized this as one of those situations.

"I don't know." Elizabeth sunk onto her bed in defeat. There was a moment of silence, as neither of the best friends knew what to say to each other.

"I'm coming over. There's no way I'm letting you spend your last night here alone." Isabel choked on the last words. Her best friend was leaving. And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

"Oh, Izzy, you don't have to come over. I have to pack…and if I cross paths with Denise, World War III might break out and you really wouldn't want to be here for that." Elizabeth said in attempt to lighten the situation, but failing.

"Are you serious? No, if war breaks out, I will be the best warrior this world has ever seen and of course I will help you pack and if Denise wants you out of here quietly, we'll be sure that's the last thing she gets. She's made this past year Hell for you. It's about damn time you get some payback. I'll be right over." Never one for soppy good-byes, Isabel hung up.

- - -

Elizabeth looked around her room, wondering where to start packing when she realized she had no idea where Port Royal was located and the brochures were in the living room, with Denise. Great. Quietly opening the door, she slipped down the hall and into the living room. She walked over to the table and gathered the information papers and brochures into a neat pile before standing.

"Elizabeth?" Her father questioned. With no acknowledgement, Elizabeth turned and began to walk away.

"Let her be. She's giving you the silent treatment." Denise said, expanding the bridge between Elizabeth and her father even more. At this, Elizabeth furrowed her brow and turned back. She wasn't letting Denise have the last word. Ever.

"No." Elizabeth said, receiving the full attention of the adults. "If I was giving you the "silent treatment", I would be stomping around trying to make a big deal out of it, as my father would very well know." Elizabeth said, her voice dripping with ice-cold venom. "I just have absolutely nothing to say to you." Her last words were directed straight towards her father who had finally turned to look her in the eye.

- - -

Fifteen minutes later, Elizabeth had pulled down every suitcase in the apartment, leaving none for her father's business trips, none for Denise's family reunion vacations or shopping trips to Milan. There were four large suitcases that used to be used for family vacations, when, Meg, Elizabeth's mom, was around and they were actually a family. The other two were smaller, business trip size. Always extremely organized, Elizabeth decided to use one of the smaller suitcases for her toiletries and electronics and the other for shoes and socks. The other four suitcases were reserved for clothes, sheets, towels, and other miscellaneous items. She had set out her carryon bag and clothes for the airplane, collected all of her small toiletry bags and had begun to pack them in her bathroom when she heard the apartment doorbell ring. Elizabeth smiled for what felt like the first time in ages and raced to the door. Isabel stood there, eyes tear streaked, nose red, and an extremely large bag draped across her shoulder.

"Elizabeth? Are you having guests over?" Denise asked, returning to her horrible sweet voice. At the sound of it, Isabel dropped her bag and walked over so she was standing directly in front of Denise.

"Don't you dare speak to her. You think you've won this little battle you have going on here, but you just gave Elizabeth the win on a silver platter. Don't you realize? You had to send her out of the country to make yourself the main woman in her father's life when you don't even understand that to him, you are second best. Meg will always be the first woman in his heart, and sending Elizabeth out of the country will do nothing to change that so get over it." Isabel, clearly on a roll, turned to Elizabeth's father. "And if Meg was here, she would be disgusted with you." Isabel knew the words cut deep but before anyone had a chance to get a word in, Isabel pulled Elizabeth into her room and slammed the door.

"Sorry, I was prepping that speech the whole way over here. Are you mad?" Isabel asked, concerned that she might have stepped over the edge. Elizabeth laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"Too bad you can't come with me and prep one of those every time someone gives me a hard time."

"Just call me and I'll give you the words. Plus," Isabel pulled away and held Elizabeth out at arms length. "I think you can hold your own. You've never had a problem with it before. Now, let's finish your packing!"

It took the girls a straight three hours to fold and pack Elizabeth's clothes. They took down all of the pictures taped to her walls and put them in an envelope. By the time they had finished, Elizabeth's room had gone from a normal senior girl's room with memories and stories from every corner, to what looked like a room out of a catalogue. Every personal item was off of the shelves and into one bag or another. Everything was gone except for one picture.

"Thank you so much for coming over. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it." Elizabeth said as her and Isabel pulled the last suitcase into the hall outside her room, "accidentally" blocking the door to Denise and her father's room.

"Of course. You're my best friend; I would never let you go through this night alone. However, I am starving. We could have Jake and Derek meet us for Sushi, if you want."

"Ok, let me get my purse and we can go." Elizabeth had left one of the less full and smaller bags open in her room for last minute things. She pulled out her suede boots and slipped them on along with her Picot and cream cashmere scarf, grabbed her Coach purse and left the apartment with Isabel and without a word back towards her father.

"Izzy, what was in that huge bag you brought with you?" Elizabeth asked as they walked down the street to the Sushi joint. Isabel turned and gave Elizabeth a sly smile.

"I think it's finally time we got Denise back for a fraction of the hell she put you through. Let's just say that April Fools Day came early for her this year." She linked her arm through Elizabeth's and couldn't hold back the slight skip in her step as they walked.

- - -

The girls met Jake and Derek fifteen minutes later at their traditional favorite sushi joint.

"What the hell was so important that we had to leave basketball practice for? You have no idea how mad Coach was at us." Derek complained while pulling an extra chair over to the table to sit next to Isabel who was across from Elizabeth and Jake.

"Liz is moving. Scratch that. Her awful step mother is forcing her into boarding school half way around the world." Isabel calmly explained as she took a sip from her water. Jake and Derek stopped, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"Nice one. Now seriously. We know you just really wanted to see us. So about Adam's party tonight. When-" But Jake was cut off.

"I don't think you understand, Jake. We called you so I could say good-bye before I leave tomorrow morning. My parents jumped me with the news when I got home today." Elizabeth said with downcast eyes.

"Holy shit, you're serious." Jake said softly. Elizabeth nodded and fought as hard as she could to prevent the single tear from rolling down her cheek. Jake hadn't missed it and used his thumb to lightly wipe it away.

"But until the extremely tearful goodbye tomorrow morning when we all take her to the airport because I'm not letting her drive with that hooker, we have some serious mischief to cause. Are you in?" Isabel asked changing the subject before she broke down herself.

"You know it!" Jake and Derek exclaimed before high-fiving each other from across the table.

"Good. Now here's the plan…" The four sat at their table for another hour and a half planning their revenge.

- - -

"Wake up, Sunshine!" Isabel called from the doorway of Elizabeth's room the next morning. She held a pitcher of fresh orange juice, bagels and cream cheese, and fresh fruit on a tray while trying to maneuver through the mass of sleeping bodies sprawled out on the floor.

"Izzy, it's too early for this." Elizabeth called from under the comforter on the floor.

"No it's not. We have to leave in an hour, so you better get up and dressed." Isabel grabbed the comforter and pulled. Elizabeth groaned in protest before dragging herself up and into the shower.

When she got out, she rubbed lotion all over her skin, applied light make up and packed up her last minute toiletries. Walking into her room, she saw her three best friends sitting together on the floor eating and laughing about something from last night. She couldn't imagine never doing this with them again. The simple thought caused her hand to fly to her mouth in attempt to choke back a sob. Elizabeth dressed in dark jeans, a white tank top and a shrunken pond blue cardigan. She let her hair air dry into long lose curls. Before she knew it, she was helping Jake and Derek drag her many suitcases into one of the van-cabs that Isabel was able to grab for them. Elizabeth ran upstairs to her apartment to make sure there was nothing she was forgetting. She took one last devastating look around the room that had been her sanctuary but stopped short when she noticed one final framed picture left on a shelf. It was a picture of Elizabeth and her father during the last days of summer before her senior year. The trees of New York were beautifully starting to turn as they walked through Central Park. Days earlier, the picture would have brought her a sense of peace, now it just made her nauseous. She grabbed the picture and flung it to the floor. With one last look, the heel of her boot smashed into the very center of the frame and shattered the glass. Without a glace back, Elizabeth was gone.

- - -

They walked her as far as security would let them, which was not very far. She dropped her carryon bag on the floor as Derek picked her up in a bone-crushing hug.

"Take care of yourself. I will miss you like crazy." Derek whispered huskily into her ear before setting her down.

"I will, don't worry. I will miss you also." Elizabeth turned to Jake. She could have sworn she saw the slight forming of a tear in the corner of his eye.

"C'mere, Bug." The use of her nickname from years ago brought tears to her eyes before she was in his arms. She savored his embrace for as long as she could. There was nothing either could say. He left a warm and soft kiss on her temple before stepping away.

Isabel was sobbing before she reached Elizabeth. The two girls grasped on to each other with ever fiber of their beings. They knew this move wasn't permanent. Elizabeth would be back. Right?

"I love you more than grilled cheese and tomato soup." Elizabeth whispered against Isabel's blonde hair.

"I love you more than cookie dough ice cream." Isabel choked back. With one last squeeze, Elizabeth pulled away and took one last tearful look at her best friends. She mouthed _I love you_ as she walked backwards towards the security line.

- - -

James walked into Elizabeth's room, expecting to tell her that they had to leave for the airport. Instead he found a note resting on her bed.

_Izzy, Derek, & Jake took me._

_I know you won't mind._

_E_

Just as James was about to leave, something on the floor caught his eye. Shattered on the floor was his favorite picture of him and his daughter. _What had he just done?_

**So what do you think? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all! Thank you to my wonderful readers. I don't think I was very clear in my summary: this is an AU story…BUT there will be pirates and of course Jack Sparrow as he is in the movies. **

**Summary: **Slight AU: Elizabeth Swann was forced into Port Royal Boarding School in the middle of her senior year where she meets mysterious and intriguing William Turner. Soon, Will's past catches up with him and the two are forced realize that there is more to each other than meets the eye.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters…except for the ones you don't recognize.

**Chapter Two: Not So Alone **

An eight-year-old William Turner sat on a rock at the beach in Port Royal waiting for his father to return. Bill Turner had been gone for four months and Will was getting extremely annoyed with his aunt, whom he had been forced to stay with. To say the least, Will was very excited. Bill Turner was strange. He would always leave for months at a time and would always get on a small rowboat and row all the way out until Will could no longer see him. From there, Will had no idea what he did. All he knew was that when his father returned, he looked as if he had not showered or shaved once in the months that he was gone. However, whenever his father returned, he always brought expensive and antique looking trinkets home for Will.

After waiting for another hour, Will finally saw his father's tiny boat way out in the distance. It wouldn't be long now. He couldn't help but wonder what his father had brought him this time. Maybe he had a real treasure chest with a lot of real treasure inside. But as the boat neared, and Will waded out into the water to help pull it in, he saw no treasure chest. In fact, he couldn't see anything that looked like a gift for him.

"Father!" Will called. He could hear his father's hearty laugh echo across the deserted beach.

"William, I've missed you." Bill said as he picked up his small son and spun him around before pulling him close in his arms. "I bet you want to know what I have for you." Will couldn't help but nod. Bill chuckled and reached inside his shirt. Will watched as his fingers clasped around a gold chain and as he pulled, a gold medallion emerged. It was no treasure chest, but he couldn't look away. His eyes were glued to the medallion even as his father fastened the clasp around Will's own neck.

"But what is it?" Will asked.

"It's a gold medallion and very important in my line of work. There are only four others like this in the entire world. I need you to keep it safe for me, Will, especially while I'm away. Can you do that?" Will could hear the urgency in his father's voice as he spoke. Suddenly, Will knew that, for whatever reason, he had to guard this medallion with his life. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

TEN YEARS LATER

An eighteen-year-old William Turner sat on a rock at the beach in Port Royal waiting for his father to return. Two years ago, he stood on this very beach and said goodbye to his father for what he thought would only be another of his short trips. Will was still waiting. After Bill had brought back the medallion for Will ten years ago, the gifts had become increasingly boring before they ceased all together. But, the medallion never left Will's neck.

- - -

The plane ride had been tedious, even for Elizabeth, who loved long plan rides. During the flight, Elizabeth had really come to terms with the fact that she was not going back to school in a freezing city with her best friends. Now, she got to start over, and any way she looked at it, that was a good thing. In the end, Denise had done her a favor.

There was supposed to be a representative from the school coming to meet her and take her to the school where no one would be waiting for her. The rest of the school was on Christmas holiday, and she would be spending it alone in her dorm.

"Elizabeth Swann?" An old man wearing a PRBS wind breaker jacket and shorts waved to her from across the baggage terminal. He made his way over to her and stuck out a wrinkled stubby hand. "My name is Ford Smith. Have you collected your baggage yet?" He asked. Elizabeth raised a perfectly shaped brow at him. She stood there with only a small carryon.

"Clearly not." She retorted. She prayed that not everyone at boarding school would be like this. Ford eyed her cautiously.

"Well how many are we waiting on, then?" He asked as the luggage strip began to move.

"Six." Ford's mouth dropped but Elizabeth rolled her eyes and ignored it. Her first five bags came within the first fifteen minutes that the strip was moving.

"We're waiting on one more." Ford said cheerfully. Elizabeth looked at him disbelievingly. It took every fiber in her body not to retort with something that would surely get her off on the bad foot with this school. They waited and waited as the crowd around the luggage strip thinned out. Soon, they were the only ones standing there. Elizabeth sighed for what felt like the millionth time as empty strip slid past her.

"Could that be it?" Ford asked as the last bag slid into their view. Without an answer, she pulled it off of the strip and onto the cart.

The car ride to the school was completely silent. Only when they arrived at the enormous gates did Ford finally look over to her.

"There's your dorm building. I will let you drop your bags off there, and then take you over to Admissions and from there I assume you can find your way back."

"Thanks." Elizabeth said absent-mindedly. Her building was huge. It was a red brick old antique building with white accents and trim. Isabel would have loved it. The thought almost brought tears, but she pushed them away. The car pulled around to the front where again she was met with a beautiful sight. There were vines that crawled all the way up the tall building and crisp looking water flowed from a fountain in the middle of the circular driveway. Elizabeth could tell this was probably one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world, which meant the best of the best lived here, which meant she was guaranteed to be living with one. Ford grudgingly helped her lug all of her bags up to her room, which was located on the seventh floor at the very end of the hall. Her room was actually fairly spacious and she already had a roommate. And, she was very pleased to see that they had their own bathroom. Her roommate's things were neatly organized on her side of the room but it was clear she had taken home most of her scattered belongings. Elizabeth's side of the room was completely bare. One by one she dragged her bags into the room, not caring how much space she took up. There was no one there to complain.

As Ford walked her to the Admissions Office, Elizabeth zoned out and began thinking of all the things she could do with the space in her room. There was no need to loft her bed. Her bed was already where she wanted it to be, against the wall across from the door next to the window and with her dresser at the foot of her bed.

"Well this is where we part." Ford said, not seeming the least bit remorseful.

"Thanks for everything." Elizabeth genuinely exclaimed as she pushed through the big oak doors. She walked up to the receptionist's desk. "Hi, I'm Elizabeth Swann. I'm a transfer." She said more as a question that a statement. The receptionist nodded and turned to her file cabinet.

"Okay. There are a few things you need to look over and sign. Here is your second semester class schedule, map, book list, credit requirements list, and…I'm sure there's more in there." She handed Elizabeth a very large manila folder and sent her back to her room. After looking at the papers, Elizabeth knew she had exactly two weeks to settle in, get to know the campus, find all of her books, and start catching up on a semesters worth of work.

By the time Elizabeth was ready to go down to the 'dining hall' for dinner, she had unpacked all of her clothes and taken those four suitcases down to the bag storage room of her deserted building. While she was in her room, her mind never wandered to the fact that she would be absolutely alone for the next two weeks. She hadn't run into any of the other students while walking back to her dorm, nor while going down to dinner.

The dining hall was enormous. On the right were various venders from different food chains in the area. Of course they were all temporarily out of service. On the left was a huge room filled with what looked like millions of round tables and chairs. The ceiling was high and filled with tiny white lights for the night, while the floor to ceiling windows let in plenty of light during the day.

Elizabeth's eyes wandered to the thousands of tiny lights on the ceiling and slowly began spinning around as her eyes took in every angle of the building. Isabel would hate this. Something on the ceiling caught her eye and she stepped back several times without her eyes leaving the object when suddenly her back collided with something hard. She spun around and came face-to-face with a tall dark haired man with an amazing tan and broad shoulders.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Elizabeth cried. Her cheeks immediately flushed when he smiled down at her.

"It's fine, don't worry." He laughed. "Will Turner." He stuck out his hand for her and smiled again when she took it softly.

"Elizabeth Swann." She shook his hand, her eyes never leaving his eyes. They were deep chocolate brown but there was something else to them. There was something that intrigued Elizabeth and suddenly she felt she had to know what caused his eyes to make her feel this way. Realizing she was still holding his hand, she quickly pulled away and ran her hands through her hair. "Sorry," she laughed blushing even harder. Will laughed again.

"You apologize too much."

"Yeah," Elizabeth breathed almost letting herself get lost in his eyes again. "So, are there any places to eat that are actually working?"

"All the way down there and to the right." He pointed past her, letting his arm gently brush her shoulder. Elizabeth smiled genuinely at him and began walking away.

"Thanks, Will."

Much to her distaste, the only working vender was a Taco Bell and fast food was probably the last thing she wanted right now. Realizing she had no other choice, she walked over to the young woman standing behind it.

"Hi!" She said seeming almost excited to see another person as Elizabeth was.

"Hey, can I get two soft tacos, two hard tacos and um…" Elizabeth perused the unappetizing menu as the woman began getting the first part of her order ready. "Fries, a frosty, and a lemonade." As hungry as she was, the amount of greasy food she was about to digest into her system was enough to make her not want to ever eat again.

"My name's Sarah, by the way." She said smiling at Elizabeth,

"Elizabeth Swann. It's nice to meet you.

"You staying here over break also?" Sarah asked as she put together Elizabeth's order.

"No, I'm a transfer. I just got here today." Elizabeth explained. As much as she would like to stay and chat with this woman, the smell was making her more and more hungry. And she couldn't get her mind off her previous encounter.

"Wow, first day and you're already getting mixed up with William Turner." These words immediately ceased any stray thoughts Elizabeth was having and turned her entire attention Sarah.

"What do you mean?"

"That boy is bad news. Some people even think he's cursed. Ever since his father left two years ago and his aunt made him come to school here, all he does is make trouble and sit out at Turner Beach waiting for his father to come home. He never really stays here on the weekends and over summer break. People always see him coming and going from the ocean. I've even heard he goes out looking for his father when he can't sleep at night. Part of the curse." Sarah's voice got lower and darker as the spoke.

"People think he's cursed?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically. This school was proving to be weirder and weirder by the second. This dark explanation of the handsome man she had just run into was utter bullshit as far as Elizabeth was concerned.

"Yeah. They say he wears this gold medallion around his neck and never takes it off. No body knows what it's for. I heard his father gave it to him to hide it from someone, or something. I would assume it has some connection to Turner Beach but who can ever be sure?"

"What's Turner Beach?" Elizabeth's superstitious side was getting the best of her and she suddenly wanted to believe every word Sarah was saying.

"The beach where Will's father comes back from sea. It would be totally normal except for the fact that no one can find it, except those who already know where it is." Sarah produced Elizabeth's order on the counter. Without wanting to hear what else Sarah had to say about Will, she paid and carried the bag back to her dorm.

Without wanting to go to sleep in a completely bare room, Elizabeth decided to 'decorate' as much as she could. She put her sheets on her bed and pulled the light green tightly stuffed comforter from its bag and splayed it out on the bed and fit the pillows on the bed into her own pillow cases. After fitting all of her shoes into the closet, pulling all of her electronics and chargers out and setting them on the bed, and organizing her toiletries in the other small cupboard in the bathroom that wasn't already used, Elizabeth ate and was ready to take her other two bags down. With only her carryon bag left unpacked, Elizabeth started the trek down the seven flights of stairs. As she passed the fourth floor, she heard the jingle of keys and the slam of a door. She paused just long enough to adjust her hold on her bags and to hear the door to the stairs open.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called. Elizabeth turned and saw Will coming down the stairs towards her. "Did you find a place to eat?"

"I did, thank you." Elizabeth smiled. There was no way this guy could be 'cursed' as Sarah had said. He was just a normal guy. Sarah was probably just trying to scare her, being the New Girl. She hated that title.

"Good. Need some help with those?" He asked taking a bag from her without an answer. Elizabeth giggled slightly.

"Such a gentleman." She joked as they continued down the stairs.

"My father taught me well." Will joked along. For some reason Elizabeth felt a pang of guilt as she remembered what Sarah had told her about Will's family.

"Really? Does he live around here with you?"

"Nah, he left two years ago. Been here ever since." Sensing he didn't want to elaborate, she didn't press the issue. He knew just how to tell her enough to get her hooked but always leave her wanting more. Jerk. "What about you? Haven't seen you around these parts before."

"Just got transferred here from New York." Elizabeth replied. If he was giving her the bare minimum, he should expect nothing more from her.

"Ah, the Big Apple. Hear it's pretty crazy there." Will said. They continued making small talk until they stopped once again in front of Elizabeth's door. As Elizabeth got to know him better, she sensed he was not the big city type. Will was definitely an island boy. He made it sound like he knew the waters of the Caribbean like the back of his hand, and from what she knew from Sarah, he did. He had also promised to give her sailing lessons, which she was very much looking forward to.

"Well, this is me." Elizabeth said as they stopped in front of her door. Will leaned a hand up against the doorframe.

"I'm glad you were forced into coming here." Will said completely out of the blue.

"How did you know that?" Elizabeth asked smiling.

"Ah, so it's true. Because no one as normal as you would come here by choice." Will said with his trademark smirk.

"What about you? From what I can tell you're pretty normal."

"Forced." Will said pointing to himself. Elizabeth laughed before it was cut off by a yawn.

"I better get to bed. Jet lag, time change, all that stuff." She said before kissing his cheek and opening the door.

"Goodnight, Elizabeth."

Maybe coming here wasn't so bad at all. Elizabeth just hoped her roommate was as kind as Will. After Elizabeth pushed her still unpacked things onto the floor from her bed and changed into shrunken boy shorts and a big t-shirt, she slipped into bed. The sheets were cool against her skin and she sighed with content. As her eyes drifted shut, her mind reviewed what Sarah had said. After her night with Will, Elizabeth was able to categorize Sarah as a complete nut case.

She just hoped she was right.

**Review!! Oh, and there will soon be pirates involved. I know, try to contain your enthusiasm!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello dear reviewers. I'm afraid I have some bad news. I leave for camp on July 11 and don't return until August 6 and I can't update while I'm there. So, I will try to get a few more chapters in before I leave but you will have to wait for a little while. ******** But the good news! While I'm there, I will have tons of time to plan out more of this story and possibly even outline a bunch of chapters so that when I get back the chapters will come up super fast!**

**I'm thinking that I will use some of the same plot elements from all of the movies combined, pirate wise. But it will all be the modern version, some how. Sound good?**

**Summary: **Slight AU: Elizabeth Swann was forced into Port Royal Boarding School in the middle of her senior year where she meets mysterious and intriguing William Turner. Soon, Will's past catches up with him and the two are forced realize that there is more to each other than meets the eye.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters…except for the ones you don't recognize.

**Chapter Three: Whatever happens in the dark, stays in the dark**

It was raining. No, it was pouring. Elizabeth could barely see five feet away from her window. Deciding there was absolutely no way she was going out to explore the grounds today, she opted for setting up her electronics and attempting to make her side of the room feel a little more like home. There were three sets of two wall outlets on her side of the room. One was directly behind her bedside table, another just to the left of her dresser, and the third right behind her desk. How convenient. The laptop went on her desk, her alarm clock/sound soother went on her bedside table, and her iPod and cell phone were plugged in and sat on top of her dresser.

As she went through her carryon, she put away the various things she needed on the flight until she got to the bottom of the bag. In a manila envelope, was her collection of pictures from her wall. Every picture she put up was a painful memory of what she had left behind. She placed her framed pictures on her dresser except for the one taken just the night before. It was of her, Isabel, Derek, and Jake on her last night in New York just after they wreaked havoc on Denise. Isabel was on Derek's back and Elizabeth on Jakes, and they were all laughing with huge smiles on their faces. Elizabeth laughed softly as the memory came back to her.

_"Shh, are you trying to get us caught? We are behind enemy lines right now!" Isabel whispered from in front of Elizabeth.Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at Jake and Derek laughing hysterically at something. They were sneaking down the hallway towards the kitchen dressed in all black with bandanas over the bottom halves of their faces and war paint under their eyes. It was very hard-core. _

_"Did you get a chance to put the stuff in here before they went to bed? It might have gone bad." Elizabeth cautioned. Isabel had brought over quite the selection of condiments to replace Denise's expensive face creams and shower things. _

"_Would that really be so bad?" Isabel countered. Just before they reached the kitchen, the group split. Derek and Isabel stayed to pick up the food while Jake and Elizabeth continued down the hall to where the bedroom was. They slipped in, grabbed the targets out of the bathroom and slipped out with out a sound at all. The group met up back in Elizabeth's room. Half way through washing the expensive lotions down the drain, Isabel pulled three small bottles out of the side pocket in her bag. _

_"What are those?" Derek asked pointing at the bottles._

_"Secret weapon. My brother bought them for me, and then used them on me for April fool's Day." Isabel explained._

_"Okay, but what is it?" Elizabeth asked. _

_"They're dye. When you first drip it in, it's totally clear but as soon as it's mixed with water, it turns the cream and everything it's touching a bright shade of red, green, or purple. So, we will put the green in her face wash, purple in her conditioner, and red in her toothpaste." Isabel smirked. She knew she was a genius. _

_"You are brilliant. Now let's get this started!" Derek draped an arm around her and they began the silent chemistry project. They snuck the diluted products back into the bathroom and giggled softly the whole way back to Elizabeth's room._

_"You guys this is all great. But I feel like there should be something more. I mean she was so horrible to me, but it will only take her a few days to realize what we did and when she does she will just go out and buy more expensive stuff." Elizabeth said. An hour later, after brainstorming, they had slipped jelly into the tip of Denise's slippers and on the inside of her robe, rubbed the door handles with Vaseline, wrapped a rubber band around the sprayer at the sink so that the next time she turned on the sink she got soaked, and wrapped clear saran wrap over the toilet seat. They knew Denise always got up early so that these pranks would only affect her and not her father. Derek, being the computer freak genius, was able to set up a tiny bug camera in the bathroom and promised he would email the results to Elizabeth within the wee. _

Derek still hadn't sent the email, but it was something she was very much looking forward to. She smiled and set the framed picture on her bedside table. Her smile grew as she looked around her room; it finally started to look like home.

Looking at her clock, she realized that it was nearly noon and she hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Slipping out of her pajamas and into a cream-colored light cashmere tunic over black leggings, she went down to the dining hall. She spotted a tiny breakfast bar that looked like it was just ready to close when Elizabeth ran up.

"Hi, can I just get a chai and a bagel real fast?" Elizabeth asked politely.

"Chai? Sorry, this ain't New York sweetheart." The man said over his shoulder without even looking at her.

"How did you-? Never mind. Just water and a bagel then." Elizabeth nodded at the man when he gave her the food but didn't say another word to him.

As she was just about to sip into her building without getting completely soaked, she noticed an attractive man standing in front of a power box looking very confused. She walked up behind him and studied his appearance. He wore a pair of dark jeans and very comfortable looking button up shirt that was not buttoned up. Elizabeth tried not to stare as she realized that he was not wearing anything under the shirt. He looked as if he just stepped out of an Abercrombie magazine.

"Need any help with that?" She asked. He spun around at the sudden voice but smiled when he saw who it was.

"I think I've almost got it. You just stand there and look pretty." Will Turner said.

"Good joke." Elizabeth replied sarcastically. "The power goes out in New York all the time. Move aside." She playfully pushed against his chest to get him to move away from the power box but nearly fainted at how soft his golden skin was and how hard his muscles felt moving beneath her hands. She reluctantly pulled her hands away. Turning to the power box, she tried not to look as confused as she really was.

"How's it coming?" Will mockingly asked from behind her.

"It's great." Elizabeth lied. Finally, she recognized two buttons that were similar to the ones back home. She knew one was for turning all of the power back on, while the other disconnected the power box from the lines in the building completely. They were both red and had labels that didn't at all match what they were really for. Elizabeth remembered pressing the wrong one when she was younger. It took the electricians three days to hook everything back together. She just couldn't remember which one she had pressed.

"Elizabeth," Will continued to taunt behind her, making it very difficult for her to focus. That, and she could feel the rain soaking all the way through her clothes to her skin.

"Shut up, I almost figured it out. I narrowed it down to two, which is more than I can say for you." Elizabeth said as she shot him what started out as a sarcastic smile but ended in a genuine laugh at how defeated Will looked. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander down to his exposed chest and six pack. There were raindrops dripping down over his taut stomach. The sight was almost enough to make her fall over and giggle like a little girl, but she had a job to do. Turning back to the buttons, she decided to take her chances and press one. Before she could change her mind, her finger pressed lightly on the left button. Looking up, she saw zero lights illuminate the building.

"Shit!" She slammed the door to the power box shut.

"Uh, what just happened?" Will asked.

"I just disconnected the box from all of the lines in the building. I did the same thing when I was twelve back home. It took them days to get the building power again. I don't think my dad has forgiven me yet." She looked sheepishly at Will who was simply smiling down at her.

"Well unless you want the entire building blaming you for the lack of power when they get back, I suggest we hurry inside before someone sees us." Will placed a hand on the small of her back and ushered her through the door. They hurried up the stairs and reached the fourth floor all too soon.

"Will," Elizabeth breathed. They stood in front of his door, Will not wanting to go in, Elizabeth not wanting to leave. "Why are you still here? Why didn't you go home over break?" The look on Will's face made her think that he wasn't going go answer her. But, realizing there was no way he could get around it, he turned.

"My dad left two years ago. There's no one for me to go home to." Will said. He looked just past Elizabeth's shoulder making sure not to meet her eye. "But, thankfully you came along. So now neither of us has to be alone over break." He said cheerfully as if the first part of his words had never escaped his lips. Elizabeth wanted more, but she knew she couldn't push him today. Making a mental note to remember to ask him more another time, she followed him into his room.

"You know, for living in the same place for two years, you would think a person would have a little more decorations." Elizabeth said sarcastically as she looked around the room. There was literally nothing on the walls.

"Well what were you expecting?" Will laughed. He watched as Elizabeth looked around his room. Her wet hair was dripping down over her sweater as it curled gently at the bottom. When she turned around, he could see the drips of water falling down her tanned chest. His eyes trailed up to the soft skin on her neck, over her jaw line and to her lips. Her lips were moving. She was talking to him.

"Hello? Will?" Elizabeth waved her hands in front of his face before he snapped out of his trance.

"Um, sorry. What?" Will stuttered. What was wrong with him? He was usually so suave around girls. They used to fall over backwards whenever he shot them his million-dollar smile. Now he was stuttering pathetically in front of the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

"I was asking if you had a t-shirt or sweatshirt I could borrow. What's the matter with you?" Elizabeth asked with a smirk on her lips. She knew he had been watching her. Will nodded and went to his dresser to get out a shirt. When he tossed it to her, she turned around and began slowly peeling her sopping sweater from her. Will could only stare. He didn't care if he looked like an idiot; there was only one thing he cared about now. Thankfully, Will snapped out of his fantasy before she turned around and decided it was time to make her gape. Just as he heard her turn around, he slipped his soaked button-up off his shoulders and onto the floor. He made sure his tense muscles moved slowly as he brushed past her to his dresser and got out another shirt. After slowly pulling it over his head and tanned, hard torso, he met her eyes.

Elizabeth's eyes ran over his entire upper half. His skin was perfectly golden and his shoulders were broad and his abs… there it was. The gold medallion, hanging innocently around his neck. Elizabeth couldn't get a good look at it before the worn fabric of his shirt covered it. Sensing his eyes on her, she looked up.

"It's not raining anymore." Elizabeth whispered. It seemed to be the stupidest thing to say when she was inches away from her version of a Greek God, but it was the only thing that came into her head. She wasn't even sure if it was true. "I like the rain." Oh God, she was babbling. What was going on?

"I like you in the rain." Will said.

"I like you to." As if that was all he needed to hear, Will closed the gap between them. The kiss was unexpected and sweet, but it was needed and wanted. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Will's neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Will let his fingers trail down to where the hem of his shirt met her soft skin.

Suddenly the lights flickered on and the two pulled apart. Immediately Elizabeth's hand flew to her mouth and gasped.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I have to go." She grabbed her sweater off of the bed and flew out the door before Will even knew the lights were on. Elizabeth sprinted up the stairs and burst into her room, panting. What had she just done? Will was possibly the only friend she would have for the next two weeks and she was kissing him! How long had she known him? Two days? Things in Port Royal were getting a little out of hand, and Elizabeth needed someone to talk to who wasn't going to be completely objective. Someone like Isabel. After two rings, her best friend picked up.

"I miss you." Was the first thing out of Elizabeth's mouth.

"Is it that bad?"

"Not really. Everyone is away on Christmas Break." Elizabeth said. _Everyone but Will,_ she thought.

"So you will literally be all alone on Christmas." Isabel summarized.

"Yes. Well, no. I have met a few people. The ones that didn't go home for break. All of two people."

"Wow, that many?" Isabel asked sarcastically.

"I know. But I met this guy Will Turner-" Elizabeth started.

"Hunk?" Isabel interrupted.

"Completely, but that's not the point. We basically just made out in his room. But-" Elizabeth explained barely getting through the story.

"Wow! I'm impressed. It's been what, two days? My wonderful ways are finally rubbing off on you. So what's the problem? There's a 'but' coming. I can feel it."

"Well if you would let me finish…I like him, at least I think I do. But there's some weird stuff going on with him. He's not your average mysterious type; I feel like there's an entire lifetime of stuff that happened to him that nobody knows about." Elizabeth said. With every word she spoke, she could hear Sarah's words ringing in her ears. _They say he's cursed…they say he wears a gold medallion around his neck…his father gave it to him to hide._

"Liz, of course he has an entire life time that you don't know about! Eighteen years that you weren't around for. I don't see what the problem is, honey. To me, it sounds like you finally found yourself a real man. None of us women ever know what's going on inside their heads." Isabel said, clearly not understanding the extent of the Turner mystery.

"No, it's not just me! Nobody knows what happened to him. This girl told me that there was this beach that he goes to, but nobody can find it unless they already know where it is. I think something serious might have happened to his family a really long time ago. Isabel, I really have to find out what this is." Elizabeth was desperate.

"Okay, Nancy Drew, here's a crazy idea. Try not to freak out. Ask him!" Isabel laughed at her own joke but her cheerfulness died when she realized Elizabeth wasn't laughing. Okay, this was serious. "I think you should get some sleep. You have jet lag, you're probably bored because you've already unpacked and organized and redecorated everything in the room, and you're looking for something or someone to keep you occupied until the rest of the school gets back. My advice? Get some rest now, and tomorrow go check out the town. There has to be something there that can keep you occupied until the actual work begins." Isabel said. Elizabeth sighed, she could hear the sounds of her home through the other end of the phone.

"Maybe you're right. I'll get some rest. Thanks." Elizabeth said.

"Of course. I'm always right. And if this Turner kid is really bothering you look up on it. I don't have any idea who this guy is, but I know one thing: Google has never failed us before." Realizing she was right, Elizabeth thanked her and hung up.

- - -

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. After three hours of perusing the search engine for something, anything, on Will Turner, Elizabeth gave up. Maybe she shouldn't have run out on Will like that. Maybe if she had stayed, he would have talked to her openly. Deciding to take Isabel's advice, Elizabeth changed and got into bed. She didn't care what time it was in Port Royal, all she cared about was letting her head fall against her soft pillow.

Little did she know, the answers to all of her questions were not far away.


	4. Chapter 4

**I love my reviewers!!! So, I'm spoiling you with fast updates but it I think this will be the last one before I leave. **

**Summary: **Slight AU: Elizabeth Swann was forced into Port Royal Boarding School in the middle of her senior year where she meets mysterious and intriguing William Turner. Soon, Will's past catches up with him and the two are forced realize that there is more to each other than meets the eye.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters…except for the ones you don't recognize.

**Chapter Four: **_**Cruento,**_** To Stain with Blood **

_Elizabeth walked peacefully along the shore. He had said to meet him there. The beach was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. The sand was soft and shimmered like gold in the sun. The vast ocean stretched far out for what seemed like forever. And it was calling her name. It was a whisper of a sound that the wind had carried to her from somewhere in the ocean. It was getting louder and louder until it was right next to her, in the form of a man. William Turner. He grabbed her hand and put it to his chest. She could feel the chain of the medallion beneath his shirt. _

_They were on a ship. The entire crew was working as if they weren't even there. _

_"Give it to me." She said. But the voice wasn't hers. It was another man's. Will and Elizabeth turned to see a pirate staring at them. He had long black dreadlocks that were held off of his forehead with a red bandana that looked as if it had never been washed. He had a slow smirk that was spreading across his face. He knew something. _

_They were back on the beach, waiting, waiting, waiting. But what were they waiting for? Elizabeth knew Will held the answer. _

_Will knew exactly what was happening as the ship around them turned into a battlefield. There were men dying all around her but all she could feel was her hand on his chest, and the chain, the chain that held the medallion. The medallion! It was gone. Will was being torn away from her. She couldn't breathe. _

Elizabeth shot up in her bed. There were beads of sweat all over her body. Her sheets were wet and she felt dizzy. It was the middle of the night and something was very wrong. She could feel it in her skin. She threw her covers off and flew out of the door and down three flights of stairs.

Will woke to a harsh pounding on his door. He slowly sat and let the covers roll off him. Dressed only in a pair of boxers, he went to the door.

Elizabeth was positive that she had never looked worse in her life. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun at the nape of her neck; she was wearing a small pair of shorts and a large shirt. Her cheeks were flushed and she could feel her shirt sticking to her.

"Elizabeth? What the hell are you doing?" Will asked, fighting between surprise, confusion and minor annoyance.

"I had a dream." Elizabeth's voice was tiny and weak. Will's look of mixed emotions split and surprise took over.

"You came down here and woke me up because you had a dream? Is this new for you?" Will asked slightly sarcastically. Elizabeth silently cursed herself for not explaining.

"No, you were in it." Elizabeth tried again. She cursed herself a second time when she saw Will's face switch from shock to smugness. "I think I better sit down." Elizabeth let herself in and went to sit on the bed.

"Why don't you tell me about it." Will suggested.

"We were on a beach. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and we were alone. And then we were on this ship and I was holding your…" Elizabeth motioned to his chain. Will looked utterly shocked. Elizabeth knew this was a bad idea. "Anyway, there was this man…he looked like a pirate if you believe that, and he was telling me to give it to him. And then we were back on the beach waiting for something but you wouldn't tell me what it was. But we were back on that ship and everyone around us was dying. Then I woke up." Elizabeth watched Will for a long time. Will just stared at her.

"Oh," was all he said. Elizabeth sighed exasperated.

"Well don't jump to try to explain this to me." Elizabeth said sarcastically. She could tell by the look on his face that he knew exactly what her dream was about and he was fighting with himself over whether she deserved to know or not. Finally, will stood up and held out his hand.

"I can't explain your dream. But I think I can explain something else."

The beach was closer than Elizabeth had expected but she could understand why no one could find it. The second her feet reached the sand, Elizabeth knew this was the beach from her dream.

"This was it." Elizabeth gasped. "This is the beach. How did you know?"

"I didn't. I guessed. But I think this explains a lot." Will said.

"I'm just as confused as when I woke up."

Will looked around and then stared out at the ocean for a few seconds as if waiting for something.

"My father used to leave a lot. I still have no idea what he did while he was away. He would usually leave for a few months at a time and he would always bring me a present of some sort. I would always wait for him on this beach. This was where he would dock his little rowboat when he came and left. When I was eight, he brought me this." Will pulled the medallion from under his shirt and let it hang in full view. "He told me to always keep it safe, especially while he was away. He left again for another of his trips two years ago and he never came back." Will explained. Elizabeth had no idea what to say to him.

"I'm glad you told me, Will."

He gave her a soft smile and moved to put the medallion away but her hand stopped him. She took it in her hands and examined it. It was a little heavy, clearly pure gold, and very intricately carved. There were thousands of tiny designs and carves that only the hand of a skilled blacksmith could achieve. Elizabeth turned the piece over and ran her fingers over the back.

"_Cruento_," she whispered. The word was carefully engraved into the back. It was light and barely visible, but it was there.

"To stain with blood." Will translated. Elizabeth dropped the medallion and backed away.

"I'm sorry, this is all just a little too weird." She began to turn and leave the beach, planning to never come back, but Will's words stopped her.

"Elizabeth please, wait!" Will called after her.

"Will, I'm having nightmares about pirates, I'm going to beaches that no one can find except for you and your father, and we're talking about what could quite possibly be a pirate medallion like it's the weather! So, forgive me if I don't adapt to this right away, if ever." Elizabeth yelled.

"There's nothing I can do about it! You brought this upon yourself. You didn't have to come find me after your damn dream and you didn't have to keep asking me about my family." Will countered and Elizabeth knew he was right.

"I know, and I'm sorry that I came to you. But you have to stop waiting for him. I will help you, whatever happens with this stupid thing, I will help you. But your father will come back when he's ready, or when he can, and you have to believe in that."

"I appreciate your support but I know for a fact that whatever happens with this, it will be way too dangerous for you."

"Are you kidding? I grew up pushing my way through subway stations. I think I can hold my own against some grumpy pirates." Elizabeth laughed.

- - -

Two weeks later, there was a knock on her door. Elizabeth put down the fashion magazine she was reading and turned down her music. Expecting Will to be at the door, she quickly swiped a little lip-gloss onto her lips and smoothed her hair. The person standing on the other side of the door was definitely not Will.

"Uh, hi." Elizabeth said awkwardly. Who was this girl?

"Hi, you must be Elizabeth Swann. It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Brooke Summers. Looks like we're roommates!" Brooke said happily.

"Oh my God! Finally! Sorry, I had no idea you were coming back today." Elizabeth hugged Brooke and helped her bring her bags into their dorm.

"I'm so happy you transferred here. I really didn't like being all alone in this room." Brooke said. She was a little shorter than Elizabeth and had straight brown hair. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice Brooke's great sense of fashion. She wore dark jeans, a white ribbed tank top and layered necklaces with gold dangling earrings.

"I completely understand. But you were alone all semester! I could barely stand it for two weeks." Elizabeth began picking up the clothes that were haphazardly strewn about the room and threw them into the hamper.

"Tons of sleepovers." Brooke laughed. "Oh! I have to introduce you to everyone! They're going to love you, as far as I can tell." Brooke winked at her before returning to her suitcase. There was another knock at the door and Elizabeth got up again. She opened the door and let Will in.

"Have you seen the booklist for this semester? We actually have to read all of these!" He said without even looking up.

"William Turner. When was the last time you read a book in your life?" Brooke called from the corner.

"Summers, who knew you would be sharing a room with Swann here." Will said turning to give Brooke a hug.

"You two know each other?" Elizabeth asked. The sight of Will being so friendly and close to another girl was enough to make Elizabeth want to throw up. She hated being jealous.

"Yep, she was my first friend here at PRBS." Will explained with his arm still around Brooke who wriggled out of his embrace to continue putting her clothes away. "Well I have to run down to the book store to grab these books that I'm going to pretend to read. See you guys at dinner?" The girls agreed and Will left a quick kiss on Elizabeth's temple before closing the door behind him. They had become close over the past two weeks, but in the brother/sister kind of way. They never talked about the kiss from the rainy day, but it always seemed to hang over their heads. She would occasionally catch him looking at her in a much less than brotherly way, but he would quickly look away. And he was always finding some excuse to touch her, which she was not discouraging.

"Okay, spill." Brooke said as if they had been best friends forever.

"Spill what?" Elizabeth asked innocently. There was a third knock at the door.

"You're off the hook for now," Brooke said gesturing towards the door before moving to open it. "But I am expecting a full report later."

At the door was one of Will and Brooke's friends, who she stood and talked to for a while. Elizabeth decided she should probably change out of her sweat pants and tank top for dinner. Going to her closet, she picked out a nice pair of jeans and a black flutter top.

"Okay, as adorable as that is, I'm afraid it won't work." Brooke said from the doorway after finishing her conversation with her friend.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, nobody told you? We have to dress up for dinner. It's a stupid rule but one that is followed here. Guys always have to wear a collared shirt with a tie and we are not allowed to wear anything with pants." Brooke explained. Seeing the lost look on Elizabeth's face, Brooke pulled her towards her own closet.

Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth stepped out of the bathroom and Brooke squealed in delight.

"I hate it when this happens!" Brooke exclaimed.

"When what happens?" Elizabeth asked cautiously looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"When my clothes look better on other people than on me." Brooke stood up and went to stand next to Elizabeth at the mirror. "Damn, we are so good looking." Elizabeth stood in a pair of gold strap heels and a black halter dress with gold hoops connecting the straps to the dress. Her make up was light and natural but shimmered in the light and her hair hung in blonde waves over her shoulders.

"You guys seriously have to dress up like this every night for dinner?" Elizabeth was a little skeptical. She had never heard of any school having to dress up as if they were going to Homecoming to simply go to the cafeteria for dinner.

"Well, not every night. Usually only when we get back from a break like this, the first dinner is pretty nice. But most other nights we just end up changing into skirts and the guys just keep their jeans and slip a nice shirt on." Brooke explained while applying clear lip-gloss.

"Alright. What time does dinner start?"

Brooke looked at her watched and took a quick intake of breath. "Um, now." She grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her out of the door.

- - -

"Welcome back students! I hope you used your break as a time for catching up on work, or possibly reading ahead in your books." The headmaster spoke from the small stage with a podium at the front of the room. At this comment, most of the students snickered. "However, I trust that you only used it for sleeping, relaxing and…doing whatever it is you students do on a break. Now, you have tomorrow off so you have time to collect the new books you have been assigned and get settled in again. Tuesday is when your classes start regularly again. Welcome back again, and enjoy your meal." The headmaster stepped down and the students clapped for him.

Elizabeth turned back to her table, which consisted of Brooke, Will, the boy Brooke had been talking to, and three other people.

"Okay, Elizabeth, you might already know Sam, he was the one who came to our room, but this is Lauren, Daniel, and Scott. Guys, this is Elizabeth Swann. She transferred here from the Big Apple." As Brooke introduced her, the others said their respective 'hellos' but generally kept to themselves.

The rest of dinner was highly uneventful, and for some reason, Elizabeth was feeling extremely restless. She kept fidgeting, playing with her napkin, crossing and uncrossing her legs under the table, occasionally brushing or hitting Will's leg as she moved. After about the sixth time, Will finally turned to her.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked softly under his breath.

"Nothing, I just…I'm fidgety for some reason." Elizabeth looked at Will who sent her a look as if to say: _Ya think?_

"Okay, let's get out of here." Will said and held out his hand.

"What? The food isn't even here yet!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"You don't want to be here as much as I do, so let's leave. Come on I know a place with much better food anyway." Elizabeth stood up and took his hand, receiving a very mean look from Lauren as she did so.

"Uh, Liz? Where are you guys going?" Brooke asked looking up from her cell phone, which was discretely hidden, under her napkin. Elizabeth shrugged and turned to follow Will.

They walked off of the school campus and into the town. The town looked as if it had been there for ages, and never adapted to the new technology. There was a small seafood shack located on the shore closest to Will's beach.

"This is where my dad used to take me every night before he left for a trip. I always felt bitter-sweet about it because I knew he would be leaving, but this place has the best lobster in the world." Will winked and led her into the restaurant.

- - -

Thirty minutes later, the two were sitting at a small table near the floor to ceiling windows that faced out onto the ocean.

"Will, this is beautiful. Really. I don't know what was wrong with me at the school." Elizabeth thanked Will for what felt like the tenth time.

"Yeah, it is beautiful." Will said, but he was not looking out at the ocean.

"So, Lauren didn't seem to happy about us leaving together." Elizabeth commented after a few minutes of perusing the menu.

"Really? Well I can't imagine why." Will replied, but his eyes never met Elizabeth's. She knew he was lying. Just as she was about to question more, the waiter appeared with their food. He set Will's plate down before reaching across the table with Elizabeth's. As he reached, the sleeve of his shirt slid up and Elizabeth could see the small word tattooed across his forearm. She nearly choked on her water when she read what it was.

_Cruento._


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, this is my last chapter before I leave. Sad! But, I have a favorite reviewer!! Kit37 you are my favorite. I absolutely LOVE New York City, I hope to go to college there. So major kudos for you. But I loved your review even more! So, without further ado, this chapter is for you!**

**Luckyloser07: to answer your question, that's all part of the plot!!**

**P.S. I wrote like a madman to get this chapter up before I left!!!**

**Summary: **Slight AU: Elizabeth Swann was forced into Port Royal Boarding School in the middle of her senior year where she meets mysterious and intriguing William Turner. Soon, Will's past catches up with him and the two are forced realize that there is more to each other than meets the eye.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters…except for the ones you don't recognize.

**Chapter Five: The End of the Beginning**

"Miss Swann, are you with us? Miss Swann? Miss Swann!" Mr. Lopez slammed his textbook onto her desk. Elizabeth shot up with a slightly stifled yelp. Looking sheepishly around the room, she realized that all eyes were on her. Literally. She mumbled an apology towards the teacher and sunk even further down her chair. She had been up all night for the past three days trying to find anything on the importance of _Cruento_ and what Will's father had to do with it, what her dreams had to do with it. Elizabeth didn't mention the tattoo to Will that night at dinner. He looked so happy and so peaceful sitting with her that she didn't want to disturb their blissful moment. So, she decided to take matters upon herself and do some research. The only information she could find was something about a Calypso thing, which was totally irrelevant. She was looking for _Cruento,_ not Calypso.

"Having late nights with Mr. Turner?" Brooke asked as they walked out of class.

"No, I just haven't been sleeping." Elizabeth replied defensively.

"Fine, don't tell me. But don't think I haven't noticed the looks you two keep shooting each other across the dinner table. Your little rendezvous a few days ago caused quite the stir in the female population here." Brooke said over her shoulder as she walked to her next class away from Elizabeth. Deciding she wouldn't be able to sit through another class and stay awake, she called it a day. Just as she was about to reach her dorm, Sarah popped out of she shadows and grabbed her arm.

"Have you heard?" She whispered hoarsely. This Sarah looked nothing like the Sarah that Elizabeth met on her first day. That Sarah was simply telling her the gossip. Now she looked flustered and hurried and urgent. Her hair was wind-blown and her cheeks were flushed.

"Uh…" Elizabeth looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Heard what?"

"His father." Sarah was really creeping her out. She was speaking in short fast breaths and her words were eager and urgent. Just as Elizabeth was about to reply, Sarah disappeared down the stairs and Elizabeth was stunned for a second too long. Sarah was gone.

"What was that all about?" Elizabeth asked herself returning out of the stairwell.

"What was what all about?" She heard ask from behind her. It was Will.

"Oh, nothing. Just girl gossip." Why was she lying? Elizabeth had never lied to Will before. She never felt the need to. Will eyed her skeptically before nodding.

"So are you just cutting out of class early to come see me?" Will inquired.

"No," Elizabeth laughed. "I was going to go back to sleep. What are you doing out of class anyway?"

"Liz, we're seniors. It's second semester. Why would I be in class? Come on there's something I want to show you." Will laughed and wrapped his arm over Elizabeth's shoulders, leading her away.

"Will, I really need sleep! I fell asleep in three classes today." Elizabeth protested but her words contradicted her body. Every inch of her suddenly wanted every inch of Will. His arm felt warm and protective around her and she never wanted to lose that feeling. Suddenly, her mind went back to the moment they had kissed. The electricity it shocked through her body was more powerful than an electric fence. It made her tingle all over.

"What are you thinking about?" Will asked, bringing her out of her fantasy. He had noticed the extremely focused look on her face.

"Um, just stuff." Elizabeth lied. As they walked, Elizabeth could smell the musky scent of sweat and sea salt. He must have been out at the beach that morning. They walked off the campus, managing to sneak around everyone who would have stopped them, and through town. As they passed the dilapidated seafood shack, Elizabeth felt a jolt. Their waiter was standing outside the restaurant waiting for something. An older man dressed in very strange clothing stomped through the door, grunted and began walking away. He had a disgusting grey beard with little bits of food lodged into the scruffy hairs and wore a wide brimmed hat. Looking back at the waiter, he grunted and continued walking. The waiter peaked cautiously around before following.

"What's wrong?" Will asked noticing Elizabeth's hesitation. Realizing it was now or never, Elizabeth decided she should tell Will. Plus, if she needed information out of the man, she was sure Will would be able to provide sufficient persuasion.

"Do you remember our waiter from a few nights ago here?" Elizabeth began. Will nodded. "Okay, well when he brought our food, his shirt rode up and I saw this crazy tattoo on his wrist." Elizabeth explained hoping she wouldn't have to actually verbalize what she had seen.

"So?" Will said clearly not getting the picture.

"It said _Cruento_."

It was difficult to judge Will's reaction. At first he looked surprised and Elizabeth thought he was just going to disregard the information. Then his face changed to disbelief. He looked as if he was about to argue with Elizabeth over what she claimed to have seen until it really registered in his head.

"Are you absolutely positive?" Will asked placing both hands on her arms. She nodded. Will released her and ran a shaky hand through his dark hair. This man could answer a lot of questions. He could finally clarify what Will had been trying to figure out for ten years.

"Elizabeth, we have to-"

"William." Both Will and Elizabeth spun around at the sudden intrusion.

"Sarah?" Elizabeth questioned. "What are you doing here?" This day could not turn out any stranger.

"William, haven't you heard?" Sarah said again, completely ignoring Elizabeth. The latter rolled her eyes. Here we go again. Will didn't answer; he just stared blankly at Sarah. Why was she calling him William? "His rowboat was seen floating towards the island. Nobody saw where it went." Sarah said then turned and walked away. Elizabeth stared at her back. If nobody saw where it went, that means it is at a place where no one can find.

"Will? Care to explain?"

"The beach. Come on." He grabbed her hand and started to run.

Elizabeth had to stare at her feet the entire time so she didn't trip over the rough terrain of the small jungle that hid the beach. Will stopped just as they reached the beach causing Elizabeth to crash into his back. She forced her way around Will who couldn't seem to move at the sight of his father's boat. Glaring at him over her shoulder for not telling her when he stopped, she walked straight to the boat and looked through it.

"It's empty." Elizabeth commented when Will finally caught up with her. Being a man, Will had to check for himself.

"It's empty." He reported. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Was he not just listening? They continued to talk about the boat, the tide, which direction it came from and where the last person to see it could have been. Elizabeth was surprised at how much Will knew about the ocean. He used the sailing lingo and often had to translate for Elizabeth, but she was catching on.

"It was a high tide when it was floating in, or it wouldn't have beached where it did. But since it was a high tide, the water was flowing towards the island so the boat didn't need much to power itself." Will said almost entirely to himself. Elizabeth nodded in comprehension.

"Right." She said.

"So, if it didn't need much power, then it mustn't have been that far away. Elizabeth, my father couldn't have been more than ten miles off shore and this was only a few hours ago! I could finally find him!" Will exclaimed. Elizabeth knew how much this meant to him, which was why she didn't want to let him down right now.

When Will didn't see his own happy expression reflected in Elizabeth's, he let go of her.

"Will, he could be anywhere. He may have been ten miles off shore a few hours ago but he could be half way to the US by now." Elizabeth was sad to have to break this news to him, but they couldn't go gallivanting off on a heroic expedition to save Will's father when they had no idea which way to start. She finally convinced him to return to the school with her and promised that they would go and talk to some people in town the next day.

- - -

Elizabeth woke way before her alarm went off. She lay in bed mulling things over in her head before turning her alarm off and heading to the shower. When she got out, she rubbed lotion all over her skin and applied light make up. She pulled on a pair of mid-thigh running shorts and a tank top and went down to breakfast without waking her sleeping roommate. When she got down to the breakfast lay out, she noticed Lauren sitting by herself in a far corner of the room. Elizabeth grabbed food and went over to join her.

"Morning," Elizabeth said cheerfully. It was Saturday. No classes.

"Morning," Lauren replied without looking up from the newspaper she was reading.

"Anything interesting going on in the world today?" Elizabeth asked trying in vain to make any kind of small talk with the girl next to her.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Lauren said blankly. After a few minutes of complete silence, Lauren finally looked up. "Is there something you want?"

Elizabeth was completely taken aback by the question. Yes there was something she wanted! She wanted Lauren to stop being such a stuck up bitch!

"Oh, no. You just looked lonely over here." Elizabeth tried again.

"What are you, Miss America? Look, you may have fooled Will and Brooke with your fake sweetness, but I can see right through you. Brooke is just nice to everyone. Will, he may make you feel special but in the end, it's nothing but hook up and heart break with him." Lauren couldn't have been more wrong. But while Elizabeth was being harped on, she might as well get some answers.

"Just hook up and heart break? Are you speaking from personal experience?" Elizabeth retorted. Lauren couldn't seem to come up with a good come back, so she just stood up and called over her shoulder.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

What Elizabeth thought was going to be a good day was turning into something completely different. Lauren's words caused Elizabeth to feel like she had swallowed a big green monster and it was just sitting in her stomach waiting to be thrown up. It was time to get some real answers, and if not about Will's father, then answers about Will would have to be sufficient. And there was one person who held all those answers.

- - -

"Brooke we need to talk." Elizabeth burst into her room. Brooke was still asleep and barely woke even when the door slammed shut. "Brooke, come on!"

"What? What time is it?" Brooke groggily opened her eyes and looked around.

"Doesn't matter. Come on I'm ready to spill about Will." Elizabeth knew that would grab her attention. Brooke slowly pulled the covers off of her and sat up facing Elizabeth.

"Well?" She said expectantly.

"We kissed, it was my second day here and it was a complete spur of the moment thing. It's been totally awkward since but we managed to get along fine as you so kindly pointed out. I like him; he likes me, it's all very quaint. But I need to know what happened with Will and Lauren." Elizabeth said very fast. At her last words, Brooke's head shot up.

"Why do you need to know that?"

"Because if I am to be with Will, I want to know what I'm getting myself into." Elizabeth looked right into Brooke's eyes, challenging her. Brooke stood up and began pacing the length of the room.

"When Will's father left, his aunt sent him here. Lauren nearly fell in love with him the moment she saw him. But who wouldn't? Anyway, after about six months, Will realized that his father wasn't coming back. He totally shut down to all of us, but Lauren was persistent with him. She always brought him food and would stay in his room for days at a time talking with him and eventually she got him back up on his feet. But Will started to turn to women when he was feeling down. He's probably been with the better twenty percent of the girls here, including Lauren but she thought it was something special. She thought that because she helped him out that he would love her. Of course they hooked up and then he moved on, just like with all of the other girls, which left Lauren completely heart broken. They haven't really talked much since." After Brooke finished her tale, the two fell completely silent.

Then Brooke's alarm went off, tearing the two from their separate thoughts.

"Thank you for telling me." Elizabeth said before getting up and leaving the room.

Elizabeth had no idea where she was going. She had needed to get out of the dorm, out of the same building as Lauren and away from all that was Port Royal Boarding School. She walked aimlessly all through town until she found herself across the street from the restaurant. She sat down on a bench and stared at the people who passed her without giving them a second thought after they left her eyesight. Her body slumped forward and she rested her head on her hands. Her life had gone from bad to worse from the time she walked home from school that day to the time she met Will Turner. Sarah was right; he is bad news.

But at the same time, he was so sweet and kind to her. Whenever they stole glances at each other and their eyes would meet, Elizabeth's knees would go weak and the rest of the world could fall around her but she would still be lost in his eyes. However, after what she found out today, she was sure every girl he had been with felt like that. She was sure Lauren felt like that.

Somehow Elizabeth was able to push that to the back of her mind and focus on Will's father. Maybe Will had been right and his father really was just ten miles off shore, and Elizabeth had led them away. Maybe they didn't look through the boat hard enough and maybe there was something inscribed somewhere in the boat that would lead them. But she knew they had searched every inch of the boat, and there was nothing.

She let her eyes wander over to the shack where she had last seen the waiter and that strange older man. She thought her eyes were tricking her when they focused and saw the same two men. They were standing together talking in very hushed voices. Elizabeth stood up and crossed the street, making sure she didn't' call any unnecessary attention to herself. They didn't notice as she turned and began walking towards then as if she was going into the shack.

"No, he said they haven't seen him. Just like yesterday, and just like the day before. You better start getting your stories right Mr. Ragetti." The older man had a deep scratchy voice and a strange accent that Elizabeth couldn't quite place.

"I- I'm sorry sir. He was here, I kn- know it." Ragetti stuttered.

"Alright. We leave tomorrow, go back to the ship, get Turner, and re-course." The older man said. Ragetti nodded sharply and hurried back into the restaurant. Elizabeth walked slowly enough so that she could hear the end of the conversation, but not slow enough to be noticed. Just after the older man slipped into the shadows, Elizabeth broke into a run back to the school. She didn't care what Lauren had told her; the only thought in her head was _'get Turner.' _She sprinted through the grounds, into her building and up the stairs. Most of the school wasn't even awake yet, but she didn't care. Thankfully, Will's door was unlocked and she didn't have to spend four minutes pounding to wake him up, along with the rest of the floor.

"Will, get up." Elizabeth gasped as she burst through the door. Will's alarm went off seconds later and he was mostly awake when he rolled over and his eyes focused on Elizabeth.

"What is going on?" He asked rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"I just heard the waiter and that other guy talking. They were looking for someone at the seafood shack you took me to but he hasn't shown up so they decided to give up and they said they were going back to the ship, getting Turner and making a new course." Elizabeth said in one breath.

"Get Turner?" Will repeated inquiringly. Elizabeth nodded and sat down in the desk chair to catch her breath.

"They leave tomorrow."

Will looked as if he was about to make the biggest decision of his life. He was torn between possibly embarking on the biggest adventure of his time, and going back to researching for days on the little information he got about his father.

"They must have been talking about my father. I'm going to follow them. They know where my father is." Will stood up and began pacing the room.

"Are you serious? They could have been talking about you! You can't know for sure if the Turner they were referring to is your father." Elizabeth reasoned. Suddenly, she didn't believe her words anymore. She had been put in another situation where she was trying to talk Will out of going out to search for his father, when the answer seemed right in front of them. "But, if you go, I'm going with you."

"No. This is way too dangerous. We have no idea who those guys are or where they're going." Will said. Elizabeth stood up so that she was only a few inches away from him.

"Too dangerous? I'm not some petty princess who needs to be pampered and taken care of. I can handle myself." She said confidently. The worry lines on his forehead were prominent and so adorable; not to mention that he was only wearing boxers and his muscles tensed with every move he made. Elizabeth had to use every fiber in her body not to lean up and kiss him with everything she had.

"No, I need to know that you will be safe. And I can't know that if you are running out to the ocean where I have no idea what could happen to either of us. I need to know that you'll be here when I get back." Will's voice dropped to a low whisper.

"Will," Elizabeth brought her hand to his cheek and lightly rested it there making sure she had his full attention. "If you go, I go." Her voice was strong and defiant, and Will knew he had no choice. He sighed and dipped his head in defeat.

"Alright." The word was barely audible but Elizabeth knew it was there. She smiled up at him and watched as she slowly let her fingers glide from his face, down over his neck and chest until they hung again at her side. Will tucked a few stray hairs behind Elizabeth's ear and trace the side of her face until he cupped her chin, bringing her eyes to his.

He dipped his head and let his lips dance softly over hers. Elizabeth's eyes revealed everything to him. Want, desire, lust, and he was sure re reflected the same in his own. Elizabeth closed her eyes and pulled Will's head down to her own. She brought her lips to his and let them linger a second longer before pulling away and smiling.

"Tomorrow, then." She whispered. Will's eyes opened and met hers.

"Tomorrow."


End file.
